Robert B. Reich's Blog, page 65

DEAR TRUMP VOTERIf you voted for Donald Trump, I get it. Maybe...

DEAR TRUMP VOTER

If you voted for Donald Trump, I get it. Maybe you feel you’ve
been so badly shafted by the system that you didn’t want to go back to politics
as usual, and Trump seemed like he’d topple that corrupt system. 

You voted to change our country’s power base – to get rid of
crony capitalism and give our government back to the people who are working,
paying taxes, and spending more just to survive. Lots of Americans agree with
you. 

But now, the president is turning his back on that idea and the many
changes he promised.

He did not drain the swamp. After telling voters how he would
take control away from special interests, he has surrounded himself with the
very Wall Street players he decried. Now, those who gamed politicians for tax
loopholes and laws that reward the rich don’t even have to sneak around with
backroom deals. 

Steve Mnuchin, Gary Cohn, Dina Powell and others from Wall
Street, as well as corporate lobbyists by the dozens, are now inside the Trump
administration rigging the system for the extremely wealthy from the inside. 

They want to make it easier for banks to once again gamble with your money and
repeat our financial crisis. They want to cut health care for millions of you.
They want to lower taxes on corporations and the rich. They want to get rid of
rules that stop corporations from harming your health or safety. 

That’s not the
change you were promised.

Make America Great Again? The Trump administration wants to
expand on policies that have kept American wages stagnant for almost four
decades. Huge corporations and billionaires get the breaks, and hard working
Americans once again get left waiting for the crumbs. That’s not the change you
were promised.

Bringing back fiscal responsibility? The Secret Service budget
is skyrocketing to protect his family on international business trips, ski
vacations, and separate New York City living quarters. 

At the same time, the
president still refuses to untangle himself from his businesses and prove he’s
not leveraging our government for his financial gain. You’re paying for his
lifestyle while he’s doing nothing to help yours. 

That’s not the change you
were promised.

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A SUMMER SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR THE TRUMP ERAHere’s a summer...

A SUMMER SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR THE TRUMP ERA

Here’s a summer survival guide, 10 ways to relax during the era
of Trump.

1.  Take a day off from the news, one day a week.

 2.  Don’t get into an argument with a Trump supporter,
especially if it’s a member of your family. Remember, there are more
independents and non-voters than Trump Republicans. And the 2018 midterm
election will be won on the basis of turnout.

3.  Pay no attention to Trump’s tweets. They’re becoming
increasingly bizarre and irrelevant.

4.  Watch an old movie of biting political satire, like
“Wag the Dog.”

5.  But don’t watch “Doctor Strangelove.”

6.  Join an Indivisible group near you and take action with
them, attending a congressional town meeting and organizing others to contact
your members of congress. It’s having an effect. Plus, it’s therapeutic.  

7.  Drink lots of water and get plenty of exercise. Helps
with the anger.

8.  Read good books of fiction, like Harry Potter.
Don’t read George Orwell’s “1984” or Sinclair Lewis’s “It Can’t Happen Here” or
Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America.”

9.  Go to a county
fair with your kids, and watch the pigs.

10. Have a cookout with your neighbors and see what resources
you yourselves can offer to your community. Start a tool collective or teach a
class in a library or out of someone’s house. Tangible change can come from
your hands, not only your votes. Remember, resistance works best when people
come together and work together.         

Have a great summer!

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